MODERNISM (2).pdf 88

modernism

1. MODERNISM
Lecture 01
Environment and Culture 05

2. Modernism didn’t suddenly spring to life

4. The determinant points made in Modernism
•Rejection of the Past in terms of style and visual reference and
replaced by abstract from
(There is a paradox it’s a style which rejects styles)
•The adoption of new technology which contributes to the
design
•A commitment to social improvement through buildings and
planning

5. Modernism is the result of 19th century’s
Industrial Revolution, with it’s shift from an
agricultural to a factory based economy.
Defined as a time when artists and thinkers
rebelled against every conceivable doctrine
that was widely accepted by the
Establishment, whether in the arts, science,
medicine, philosophy, etc. Although
modernism would be short-lived, from 1900
to 1930, we are still reeling from its
influences sixty-five years later.
The consequences included the secularization
of society, the emergence of a professional
class, and the rationalization of the building
industries. Politics have varied from
totalitarianism and dictatorship to
republicanism and democracy.
.

6. A global architecture and design movement that emerged in the 1900s as
a response to accelerated industrialization and social changes
In architecture, modernism is associated with the radical break of past
forms
Architects at the time reacted to the failure of architecture in meeting
social needs and responded with new architecture called modernism
They believed design incorporated with technology would transform
society and raise the standards of living for all people
Pursued order and universals in architecture
Modernism utilized new materials and advanced technology and rejected
the old and traditional, historical ideas, ornamentation
Modernism emphasized function, simplicity and rationality
Created new forms of expression with new aesthetic
The emergence of new materials like steel, concrete, and glass which
enabled the production of skyscrapers, bridges and train sheds that
changed the image of the city in both plan and silhouette.

7. Clean lines, simple geometric shapes, pure forms, ribbon windows, open interiors,
exposed structure flat roofs which were appreciated in almost all nations and cultures
There are 3 stages for modernism
•Early modernism
•Modernism
•Late modernism

8. THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

9. THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
The Industrial Revolution marked a
period of development in the latter half
of the 18th century.
Fueled by the use of steam power, the
Industrial Revolution began in Britain and
spread to the rest of the world by the
1830s and ‘40s.
An icon of the Industrial Revolution broke
onto the scene in the early 1700s, when
Thomas Newcomen designed the
prototype for the first modern steam
engine
Industrial revolution drastically changed
daily life

10. Came with more poor quality mass produced goods in homes, more social, political
and economical problems
This rapid urbanization brought significant challenges, as overcrowded cities
suffered from pollution, inadequate sanitation and a lack of clean drinking water

11. Early modernism
Thinkers Charles Darwin undermined Religious certainty while Karl Marx bashed
Capitalists’ autocracy
The first characteristic associated with modernism is nihilism, the rejection of all
religious and moral principles as the only means of obtaining social progress.
This rebellious attitude that flourished between 1900 and 1930 had, as its basis, the
rejection of European culture for having become too corrupt, complacent and
lethargic, ailing because it was bound by the artificialities of a society that was too
preoccupied with image and too scared of change.
the new emerging culture would undermine tradition and authority in the hopes of
transforming contemporary society.
By 1900 the world was a bustling place transformed by all of the new discoveries,
inventions and technological achievements that were being thrust on civilization:
electricity, the combustion engine, the incandescent light bulb, the automobile, the
airplane, radio, X-rays, fertilizers and so forth.

12. Technology became a new religious cult that held the key to a new utopian dream that
would transform the very nature of man. Secondly, the new technology quickened the
pace through which people experienced life on a day to day basis.
Industrial Advancement –Crystal Palace 1850 , Eiffel Tower 1889, Brooklyn Bridge
1883 broke all past limitations
Politics and the economy would also transform the way that modern man looked at
himself and the world in which he lived. Science and technology were radically
changing the means of production. Whereas in the past, a worker became involved in
production from beginning to end, by 1900 he had become a mere cog in the
production line, making an insignificant contribution.

13. PHILOSOPHIES BEHIND MODERNISM

14. MODERNISM IN PHILOSOPHY
RATIONALISM -Scholastic metaphysical doctrines were meaningless Ideas
not only derive from pure thinking but by also god
EMPIRICISM -Knowledge comes via sensory experience
IDEALISM -REALITY is a construct of the mind or otherwise immaterial.
the unrealistic belief in or pursuit of perfection
EXISTENTIALISM -The starting point of philosophical thinking must be the
individual and the experiences of the individual
PRAGMATISM -Theory is extracted from practice, and applied back to
practice to form
ANALYTIC PHILOSOPHY -Characterized by an emphasis on clarity and
argument.

15. MODERNISM IN ART
Artists around the world used new
imagery, materials and techniques to
create artworks that they felt better
reflected the realities and hopes of
modern societies.
A rejection of history and conservative
values (such as realistic depiction of
subjects); innovation and experimentation
with form (the shapes, colors and lines
that make up the work) with a tendency
to abstraction; and an emphasis on
materials, techniques and processes
Modernism has also been driven by
various social and political agendas. These
were often utopian, and modernism was
in general associated with ideal visions of
human life and society and a belief in
progress.
Raoul Hausmann
being anti-war, dada was also anti-bourgeois
and had political affinities

16. Salvador Dalí -The aim of surrealism was to reveal the unconscious and reconcile it with rational life

17. Cubism was a revolutionary new approach to representing reality invented in around 1907
by artists Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque

19. MODERNISM IN ARCHITECTURE
Some historians see it as a social matter, closely tied to the project of
Modernity and thus the Enlightenment.
Modernism was essentially based on a utopian vision of human life and
society and a belief in progress, or moving forward.
Viollet le duc French architect from mid-19th century, rejects classical
style and follows gothic architecture
During the enlightenment period. He saw gothic as a more rational
system of building. As he saw architecture as engineering. The aesthetics
through mathematics
The clever it is it is more elegant, more economical, more functional
Modern architecture developed, as a result of social and political
revolutions.

20. FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION….
Functional design. the notion that "Form follows function", a dictum
originally expressed by Frank Lloyd Wright's early mentor Louis Sullivan,
meaning that the result of design should derive directly from its purpose
Less is more…
Minimal or no ornamentation, with a tendency towards a white or a
neutral palette.
OPEN PLAN INTERIORS…
Light filled, open plan interiors, with a feeling of spaciousness.
SIMPLICITY….
simplicity and clarity of forms and elimination of "unnecessary detail“
TRUTH TO MATERIALS….
meaning that the true nature
or natural appearance of a material ought to be seen rather than
concealed or altered to represent something else

21. The idea of Space
it’s about the space, the sensation of space -it’s not
about the style or the decoration, the truth to material,
these are not that important
English writer Jeffery Scott, Architecture of Humanism

24. Notable architects important to the
history and development of the
modernist movement include:
•Louis Sullivan –Father of MODERN
ARCHITECTURE
•Ludwig Miesvan der Rohe
•Le Corbusier
•Walter Gropius
•Frank Lloyd Wright
•Erich Mendelsohn
•Arne Jacobsen
•Oscar Niemeyer
•Alvar Aalto

25. UTOPIANISM-the belief in or pursuit of a state
in which everything is perfect, typically
regarded as unrealistic or idealistic.

26. END